Keith Urban’s High and Alive Tour Rolls into Hershey, PA

On Thursday, October 2nd, Keith Urban brought his High and Alive Tour to the Giant Center in Hershey PA. This was his first return to Hershey since 2011 and it was obvious that the fans missed him. The venue was full, with about 11,000 fans in attendance. He also brought up and coming country stars Karley Scott Collins, Alana Springsteen, and Chase Matthew to warm up the crowd. The entire show was 4 hours in length, starting at 7:00 pm, and Urban finish right at 11:00 pm. Usually when a star has 3 opening acts, you can expect a shorter set by the headliner. This was not the case with Keith. He took the stage just before 9 and ended at 11 with a 23 song set list.

Karley Scott Collins opened the show, performing her hits “Denim,” “Quit You,” and “Cowboy Sh!t”. After her set, she was seen at the merchandise table greeting fans and signing autographs.

Alana Springsteen was next. She brought the party to the stage, joining a fan with a shot during “Cowboys and Tequila”. Springsteen was very energetic and had great audience interaction. Her set included the hit “You Don’t Deserve a Country Song”. She asked an audience member if they had any ??? Exes and the audience member said yes….George. Alana threw his name into her song. Her set also included “Ghost in My Guitar” and “Same God”. She also did an amazing cover of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”

Last up before Urban was Chase Matthew, who came on stage sporting a Keith Urban black tee. Matthew is an electric performer who also does a lot of interaction with his band. His set included songs such as “Darlin,” “Drives My Truck,” and “Love You Again”.

With the crowd well amped up and ready to rock, Keith Urban hit the stage with “Straight Line” and “Where the Blacktop Ends”. At 57 years old, Urban shows no signs of aging or slowing down. He was full of energy from the moment he hit the stage until the very end. Matter of fact, I believe he got stronger as the night when on. Notably missing from the set list was “The Fighter”, which Keith removed from the set list amongst the current controversy over his split with wife Nicole Kidman. Also missing that evening was his guitarist, Maggie Baugh, who he is rumored to be having an affair with. In her place was Natalie Stovall.

Keith was sure to include all the hits in this night. It is obvious the love he has for his fans and they for him. Fans sung along to every song. Often, Keith would hold the mic up and just grin from ear to ear as the fans sang the song. The energy that Keith brings to the stage is more like a rock show than a country show. He utilizes every inch of the stage while belting out some blistering guitar work. He had mics at each end of the stage and did a few numbers there so fans could get a better view. At one point in the night, Keith took the phone of a fan that was facetiming the concert and sang into the phone.

Before heading to the B Stage, Urban performed the duet “One to Many” with Pink singing on the screens behind him. Keith then made his way through the crowd to the B stage, hi fiving fans, quick hugs and lots of smiles. As promised, he gave those in the back a front row seat for “Pink Pony Club” and “You’ll Think of Me”. When he finished, he wiped the guitar, signed it and gave it to a lucky fan in the audience. He then made his way back to the main stage on the opposite side of the arena and finished the set with “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and ‘Wasted Time/Folsom Prison Blues”.

A few minutes later, Keith returned to the stage along sporting a Hershey Bears jersey and kicked off the encore with an acoustic version of “Stupid Boy”. The rest of the band then joined him for 3 more songs, wrapping with “You Look Good in My Shirt”.

After the final chord, Keith spent some time talking to fans in the pit. This man knows how to put on a concert. This is one night that those fortunate enough to attend will never forget. Keith only has 5 more dates in the US this year if you would like to see him.